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Dr. R. Bora, Doctor

Category: Health

Satisfied Customers: 5233

Experience: 14 years experience in the emergency room.

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Hi - I was swimming in Lake Travis, near Austin TX this past

Resolved Question:

Hi - I was swimming in Lake Travis, near Austin TX this past weekend... I went under and tilted my head back for some reason, and water went rushing up my nose. I am now terrified that I have exposed myself to N. Fowleri and am wondering if there is any type of preventative measures to take.Thank you!

Did you notice any abnormal symptoms after the swim like "changes in taste and smell, headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, and stiff neck?".

Dr. R. Bora :

Are you there? Please enter the chat.

Customer:

I do have a mild headache, but that is not unusual for me. My neck does feel a little stiff, but I went floating on the river on Sunday, and I assumed the slightly stiff neck was from that (holding my head up while leaning back in the tube...). No changes in taste or smell and no nausea

Dr. R. Bora :

Alright. Your concern is genuine but I would like to highlight that meningoencephalitis caused by N. fowleri is very very rare with only a few reported cases till date.

Dr. R. Bora :

Moreover, your symptoms do not sound like you have been infected by the protos as symptoms appear generally between 5 to 7 days.

Dr. R. Bora :

However, if you develop stiff neck, you can get a spinal fluid analysis done to look for N. fowleri.

Customer:

Ok - Will that show up in spinal fluid this early (3 days after exposure)?

Dr. R. Bora :

no, that will take at least one week to show up.

Customer:

Ok. Thank you!

Dr. R. Bora :

You are welcome.

Dr. R. Bora :

Newer tests are becoming available that use polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology to detect amoebic DNA in spinal fluid earlier than a week, may be in 4 to 5 days after exposure but the test is expensive.

Dr. R. Bora :

So, if you are really anxious you can try the PCR DNA test of spinal fluid analysis.

Dr. R. Bora :

I hope my answer has helped you.

Please remember to rate my service positive once you have all the information you need. If you have any other questions, please ask me – I’ll be happy to respond. Thank you! Bonuses would be appreciated.

Hello Jen, I see that you went offline after we had a long chat without rating my answer.

If you have any more question, I would be glad to help you further.

Please remember to rate my service positive once you have all the information you need. If you have any other questions, please ask me – I’ll be happy to respond. Thank you! Bonuses would be appreciated.

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